Changshan
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Changshan | ||
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Hanyu Pinyin | Dàguà |
Changshan (Chinese: 長衫; pinyin: chángshān; lit. 'long shirt'; [ʈʂʰǎŋʂán] ⓘ), also known as changpao (Chinese: 長袍; pinyin: chángpáo; lit. 'Long robe'), and dagua (Chinese: 大褂; pinyin: Dàguà; lit. 'Great jacket'), is a form of paofu, Chinese robe, which was derived from the Qing dynasty qizhuang, the traditional dress of the Manchu people, which were worn by Manchu men.[1]: 129 The changshan was actually developed by the Han Chinese through the modification of their own Ming dynasty's Hanfu by adopting some Manchu men's clothing elements in one of their Hanfu changshan.[1]: 129 In function, the changshan is considered the male equivalent of the women's cheongsam (also known as qipao). The changshan was often worn by men with a magua, also commonly translated as "riding jacket" in English language.
Terminology
General term
The term changshan is composed of two Chinese characters: chang《長》which can literally be translated as "long" in length and shan《衫》, which literally means "shirt". The term changpao is also composed of the Chinese character chang and the Chinese pao《袍》, which is literally means "robe". As general terms used in the broad sense, the changshan and changpao can refer to any form of long shirt and long robes respectively.
Specific term
The
Cheongsam
(長衫Unlike the Mandarin term, however, the chèuhngsàam can refer to both male and female garments. In Hong Kong the term is frequently used to refer to the female garment, cheongsam, rather than the male garment changshan.
Because of the long British presence in Hong Kong, that local usage has become reflected in the meaning of cheongsam in English, which refers exclusively to the female garment.
Origins and development
What is now known as the Chinese changshan was developed by the Han Chinese during the Qing dynasty.[1]: 129 The Qing dynasty Chinese changshan started to be worn by the Han Chinese after the Manchu conquest.[1]: 129 The Chinese changshan was actually a modified version of the changshan worn in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD), the preceding dynasty before the Qing dynasty,[1]: 129 and was modelled after the Manchu's men's changpao.[2]
Manchu men wore a type of changpao which reflected its equestrian origins,
The Han Chinese thus adopted certain Manchu elements when modifying their Ming dynasty changshan, such as by slimming their changshan, by adopting the
History
The precursors of both the changshan and the qipao were introduced to China during the
Over time, the commoner Han men adopted the changshan while Han women continued to the wear the hanfu predominantly in the style of
Changshan was considered formal dress for Chinese men before Western-style
The 1949 Communist Revolution ended the wearing of changshan and other traditional clothing in Shanghai. Shanghainese emigrants and refugees carried the fashion to Hong Kong, where it remained popular. Recently in Shanghai and elsewhere in mainland China, many people have revived wearing the Shanghainese changshan. It is made of silk.
Use of changshan
Changshan are traditionally worn for formal pictures, weddings, and other formal Chinese events. A black changshan, along with a rounded black hat, was, and sometimes still is, the burial attire for Chinese men. Changshan are not often worn today[update] in mainland China, except during traditional Chinese celebrations but, with the revival of some traditional clothing in urban mainland China, the Shanghainese style functions as a stylish party dress (cf. Mao suit).
See also
References
- ^ OCLC 1281840650.
- ^ Han, Qingxuan (2019-01-01). "Qipao and Female Fashion in Republican China and Shanghai (1912-1937): the Discovery and Expression of Individuality". Senior Projects Fall 2019.
- ^ OCLC 43569203.